Floor for buildings.



W. G. SHIPWRIGHT & F. R. MARTIN.

FLOOR FORBUILDINGSL APPLlCATiON FILED JUNE 15, m5.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

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WIIiLIAM G; SHIPWRIGHT .AND FRANK R. MARTIN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

FLOOR FOR BUILDINGS.

Application filed June 15, 1915.

Toall whom it may concern Be it known that we, WILLIAM Gnonon si-iirivniorrr, and FRANK REGINALD MARTIN, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Floors for Buildings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improve ments in and relating to floors for buildings, more,particularly floors of the type built up of beams made of a plurality of bricks or blocks connected to each other by tie-rods, and cement or reinforced concrete, without employing any temporary supports.

Our invention consists in a floor construction in which tile-beams constructed as hereinafter described are mounted parallel to each other some distance apart on the girders or the like which support the floor, shallow tiles are fitted in the bottom of the space between adjacent beams, and the said spaces are then filled in with concrete which becomes keyed in dovetail grooves formed in the sloping sides of the beams.

The burnt-clay or like blocks or tiles which we employ in constructing the beams are of approximately inverted V or trapezoidal or arched cross-section, and consequently, when a number of these bricks or tiles are arranged end-to-end and connected to each other by means of metal rods or bars embedded in cement in longitudinal grooves in the tiles to form a beam or slab, and when two of these beams or slabs are placed side by side, an approximately V-shaped space is formed between the said beams. The V- shaped spaces between the beams are intended to be filled in with concrete or reinforced concrete after the beams or slabs are placed in position on the girders which are to support the floor, and we form dovetail grooves in the sloping sides of the tiles for the purpose of forming a perfect joint between the concrete and the tiles by the concrete becoming keyed in the said grooves. The'mass of concrete keyed in the wedge or trough-shaped spaces between the tilebeams offers a resistance to compressional strains which is approximately proportionate throughout the whole section and consequently theoretically perfect. The dovetail grooves may run lengthwise of the beams or in any desired direction. Similar dovetail grooves may be formed on the underside of the tiles when aplaster or like Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Serial No. 34,255.

ceiling is to be applied thereto. The blocks or tiles may be hollow, for the purpose of lightening the construction and improving the fire and sound resisting properties of the floor.

In addition to the dovetail grooves referred to, we form in the sloping sides of the tiles longitudinal grooves to receive tie-rods or bars; and in constructing a beam we arrange the required number of tiles in alineinent end-to-end with their flat bases resting upon some flat surface, and then place the said rods or bars in the said grooves and fill in the grooves with cement or concrete. The beams are ready for use as soon as the cement or concrete has set hard.

\Ve have illustrated our invention in the accompanying drawing, in which Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of two forms of blocks or tiles which we employ, Fig. 1 showing a tile of approximately inverted-V crossse ction, and Fig. 2 a tile of ar. hed cross-section;

Fig. 3 is an end view of a tile-beam built up of tiles somewhat similar in shape to the one shown in Fig. 1 but of greater depth and with slightly concave sloping sides;

Fig. 41 a longitudinal section of part of a finished floor; and

Fig. 5 is a cross section of our floor construction.

Referring to the drawing, the tiles A have sloping sides in which as well as in the fiat bases of the tiles dovetail grooves a are formed. A number of these tiles are arranged in alinement end-to-end. resting upon their fiat bases, and connected to each other to form a beam or slab by embedding metal rods or bars B in cement, concrete or the like in grooves 6 formed in their sloping sides and at the apex of the tiles. The beams are ready for use as soon as the cement has set hard in these grooves b. The tiles may be hollow as indicated in dotted lines in the drawings.

The ends of the beams are supported on girders or the like as indicated at D in Fig. 4.

As shown in Fig. 5 the tile-beams are spaced some distance apart and shallow tiles C are arranged in the bottom of the approximately trough-shapcd space between adjacent beams before the said space is filled in with concrete. the said tiles being adapted to fit between the beams so that they rest upon the sloping sides thereof. Reinforcing rods or the like may be embedded in the concrete if desired to give additional strength to the construction.

No wood centering or other temporary supports are required of course in constructing the floor, and if additional thickness is required it is only necessary to apply more concrete so that the wedge-shaped masses form a homogeneous whole with the addi tional concrete applied above the tiles.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z- A. floor construction in which beams that are built up of a plurality of tiles having lat er'al faces sloping upward toward each other at equal angles to their bases and which tiles are arranged end-to-end in alinement, connected to each other by metal rods embedded in cement in longitudinal grooves in the said sloping faces, and formed with dovetail grooves in the said faces are mounted parallel to each other some distance apart on the floor supports, shallow tiles shaped to fit between and rest upon the sloping sides of the beams are placed in the bottom of the troughshaped spaces between adjacent beams, and the said trough-shaped spaces are filled in with concrete which becomes keyed in the aforesaid dovetail grooves.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WM. G. SHIPWRIGHT. F. R. MARTIN.

l/Vit-nesses A. E. WILLIAMs,

M. POLLON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

